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CORVALLS - An Oregon State University College of Business workshop focused on the best ways to make good impressions on clients, interviewers, bosses and colleagues is set for 4 p.m. on Monday, May 9.

The 90-minute presentation, "How to Get the Upper Hand(shake) in Business Protocol," will be held at OSU's Weatherford Hall Trysting Tree Conference Room. It is free and open to the public. For information, or to register, contact Cheryl Hoflich at 541-737-4276.

Patricia Hraba, co-founder and vice President of Waterford Hotels and Inns, is conducting the workshop. Hraba is certified by the Protocol School of Washington, a professional etiquette and protocol training service based in Washington, D.C.

A 2005 survey of more than 1,000 companies nationwide by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found business etiquette among the top three skills lacking among college graduates, along with communication skills and work ethic.

Among the topics of Hraba's workshop will be how to put the best foot forward at an interview, how to call to make an appointment and a good impression, and how to initiate a handshake that impresses.

Hraba, a member of the OSU Austin Entrepreneurship Program advisory council, is an OSU graduate. She started her career more than 30 years ago with Hyatt Hotel Corp. in Seattle, co-creating a program that developed into the Concierge and Guest Services Department, now a standard in most Hyatt Hotels worldwide.